Date: 4-Oct-14
Today was the final day of our trip. Our plan was to visit Kemmannugundi, Hebbe falls, and Kallathi falls and return to Bangalore directly from there. So, we had to checkout from the hotel in the morning itself. We got up at 6 o’clk, packed our bags, got ready, and checked out the hotel at 7.30 AM.
Kemmanu Gundi
Before going to these places, we had planned to visit one of my aunt’s home. Her home was not very far from the hotel where we stayed and we did not find difficulty in going there. My uncle and aunt are one of the nicest people on this earth. They were very pleased to see us. My aunt had prepared many items for breakfast and all the items were very tasty. She even packed lunch for us. After spending some time at their home, we started from there at 9 o’clk.
First, we wanted to visit Kemmanugundi and Hebbe falls which is around 45 km from the main city. The road to Kemmanugundi was scenic as expected. We came across many home stays and coffee estates. They were looking awesome. Both of us enjoyed the drive through the green hill station. When we were nearing Kemmanugundi, the last 5 kms was bad but it was not as worse as Baba Budan Giri road. Our nano took us through this tough road effortlessly. We were expecting a lot from Kemmanugundi but we got disappointed as soon as we entered the gate. Near the entrance there was a deviation that led to Hebbe falls, but when we asked the security guard, he informed us that entry to Hebbe falls is closed because of wild life activities. We felt very sad because Hebbe falls was one of the main attractions for us today. There was no one else to enquire. So, we believed the security guard and continued to Kemmanugundi.
When we reached Kemmanugundi main entrance, the security guard asked us to park the vehicles and walk 2 kms to reach the top. But, we could see many vehicles going to the top without stopping there. We wondered why some people are stopping here and walking. There was no one who gave proper directions. We decided to walk for 2 kms and started walking. The view was amazing. There were same huge green mountains everywhere. When we were walking, we could see Z point. I don’t know exactly why that place is called Z point. My guess was that, the trek path which was passing through the mountain was looking like a big Z letter. I thought it’s because of that shape, the view point is called Z point. I don’t know how far my guess is correct. I explained the same thing to Thilak very confidently and he believed it. But, he had a different wish. He wanted to trek till Z point. I was shocked when I heard this. It was very far from the place where we were standing and I was not at all interested in trekking again after yesterday’s tough time. I told strict NO to him without hesitating. He felt very bad. Later, somehow he convinced himself not to trek.
Kemmanu Gundi
When we walked about 500 m, we saw that many vehicles were going till the top. So, Thilak decided to go by car instead of walking and we did the same. The road was not in a very good condition and was narrow in some places. There were many tourists at the top and the parking space was filled with vehicles. There were security guards who helped us park the vehicle. After parking the vehicle, we went to the view point. There was a beautiful garden which was maintained by Horticulture department. The view of the surrounding mountains from the top was magnificent. We spent some time enjoying the beauty of mother nature, took photos, and returned from there.
On the way back, we wanted to visit Kallathi falls which is around 10 kms from Kemmanugundi. After the disappointment at Hebbe Falls, we wished at least we could enjoy in this waterfall. But, we were wrong. Our disappointment continued at Kallatti falls also. When we went near the falls, we could see huge crowd. The parking place was filled with vehicles. After parking the vehicle, when we went near the falls, we were surprised. The crowd was so much that we could not see the falls at all. As Thilak calls, it was looking more like human falls than waterfalls. There was a small shrine near the falls. Since that was a holy place, the place was so crowded or it may be because of the tourists who came from nearby places because of long weekend. The crowd was so much that we returned from the place after spending only 5 mins.
While returning, we stopped near a nice scenic place and had our lunch which my aunt had packed for us. By the time, we finished our lunch, it was only 2 PM. As per our plan, we did not have any places to visit , so we started our return journey to Bangalore. We came via Tumkur and reached Bangalore at around 8.30 PM.
- Route Travelled: Onward: Chikmagalur > Kemmanugundi > Kallathi falls.
Return: Kallathi Falls > Birur > Kadur > Arasikere > Tiptur > Tumkur > Bangalore > BTM Layout - Photos: Kemmanu Gundi and Kallathi Falls Photos
Chikmagalur is an amazing tourist place to escape from hectic city life. We will definitely cherish this beautiful 3 days’ trip in future. Both of us had a real great time at all the places we visited. The view of the green mountains, the serpentine trek paths cutting through these mountains, the tiring trek, and journey through the heavenly roads will never ever diminish from our memories.
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Nice shots.
Thanks.. Credit goes to Thilak.. 🙂